Robertshaw Controls Company

Joseph P Wagner

Boyd P Sliger

Byron L Jackson

Douglas R Scott

Peggy L Goddard

Everett T Steele, Jr

An engine cooling system, structure therefor and methods of making the same are provided, the system comprising a housing having an inlet and an outlet, and a thermostat construction disposed in the housing between the inlet and the outlet for controlling the degree of fluid flow therebetween, the thermostat construction comprising a valve seat unit, a valve closure unit for opening and closing the valve seat unit, a spring operatively interconnected to the valve closure unit to tend to close the same against the valve seat unit, and a temperature responsive device comprising a piston member and a cylinder member that are adapted to provide relative movement therebetween when the device senses certain temperatures, one of the members being interconnected to the valve closure unit to move the same in unison therewith in opposition to the force of the spring when the other of the members is fixed from movement relative to the housing, and a movable stop carried by the housing and having a plurality of different set positions relative to the other member so as to be engaged by the other member at the particular set position of the stop and thereby fix the other member to the housing at that particular set position so that once the other member has been moved against the stop by the device sensing a particular temperature, the device will cause the one member to move to open the valve closure unit relative to the valve seat unit when the device senses a certain higher temperature than the particular temperature.

Engine cooling system, structure therefor and methods of making the same

An oscillating crystal force transducer and method of making the same are provided, the transducer comprising support structure, a plate-shaped piezo-electric crystal having opposed sides and a peripheral edge extending between the opposed sides, and two seating members carried by the support structure and respectively engaging the peripheral edge of the crystal and arranged to apply a force to the crystal along a line extending through the crystal from one of the seating members to the other of the seating members, the support structure comprising a looped spring member having opposed ends spaced from each other to define the mouth of the looped spring member and respectively carrying the seating members whereby the crystal is disposed in the mouth of the looped spring member between the seating members thereof.

Oscillating crystal force transducer and method of making

Method of making an oscillating crystal force transducer

A valve construction and method of making the same are provided, the valve construction having an annular valve seat and a movable valve member for opening and closing the valve seat and being operatively interconnected to a thermal power element that is carried by the valve construction. The valve member has an annular rigid part for engaging the valve seat and has an annular flexible part for also engaging the valve seat at a point upstream of the rigid part, the parts of the valve member being so constructed and arranged that the rigid part moves out of engagement with and away from the valve seat a certain distance before the flexible part moves out of engagement with the valve seat. The flexible part of the valve member has an opening therethrough that is adapted to provide a certain sized fluid flow path through the flexible part of the valve member when the rigid part of the valve member is engaging the valve seat.

Valve construction and method of making the same

A single valve vehicle-type thermostat construction and method of making the same are provided, the thermostat construction comprising a temperature responsive device having a piston member and a cylinder member that are adapted to provide relative movement therebetween when the device senses certain temperatures, a single valve seat unit being operatively interconnected to one of the members, a single valve closure unit being operatively interconnected to the other of the members and being adapted to control fluid flow through the valve seat in relation to the position of the valve closure unit relative to the valve seat unit as determined by the temperature being sensed by the device, a first spring operatively interconnected to one of the members and to one of the units to always tend to hold the units against each other in a closed condition so as to prevent any fluid flow through the valve seat unit and, thus, through the thermostat construction, and a second spring operatively interconnected to the members to continuously urge the members together with a loading force even when the units are against each other in the closed condition thereof.

Vehicle-type thermostat construction and method of making the same

A condition responsive valve construction having a first housing provided with an internal chamber and an inwardly directed shoulder projecting into the chamber and defining a first valve seat on one side thereof and a spring seat on the other side thereof. An axially movable valve means is disposed in the chamber for controlling the valve seat. A spring is disposed between the spring seat and the valve member to tend to move the valve member in one axial direction in the chamber. A condition responsive device is carried by the housing and is operatively interconnected to the valve member to move the valve member in the other axial direction upon an increase in the sensed condition. One or more additional housing can be added to the first housing in stacked aligned relation therewith and with each new housing having a valve seat arrangement to be controlled by the valve member.

Method of making a condition responsive valve construction

A thermally operated control device having a housing provided with a chamber divided into two sections by a flexible diaphragm and with thermally expansible material filling one of the sections to act on one side of the diaphragm and with a plunger disposed in the other of the sections and having one end thereof abutting the other side of the diaphragm to be moved thereby, the chamber sections being substantially of the same size adjacent the opposed sides of the diaphragm and the one end of the plunger substantially filling its respective section adjacent its side of the diaphragm to minimize the deformation and stretching of the diaphragm as the material forces the diaphragm into the plunger section upon expansion of the material.

Thermally operated control device and method of making the same

A thermostatically operated valve construction for an engine coolant system and having a tubular sleeve valve member for opening and closing an annular valve seat of the construction at one end of the tubular sleeve valve member that is interconnected to a temperature responsive device, the sleeve valve member having a part thereof projecting from the one end thereof into and closely adjacent the annular valve seat when the sleeve valve member is between a closed position and a partially opened position to thereby meter the flow through the valve seat during a substantial portion of the initial opening movement of the sleeve valve member.

Thermostatically operated sleeve valve construction

A temperature responsive valve for controlling communication between multiple ports is disclosed in three embodiments. In a first embodiment first and second adjacent chambers in a valve body are separated by a valve and second and third adjacent chambers in the body are separated by a second valve. The valves include a common stem carrying movable valve elements for simultaneously opening and closing the same. A sliding seal between the second and third chambers isolates these chambers for all positions of the valve stem. In a second embodiment there is also a fifth chamber communicating with a fifth port, a third valve is between the fourth and fifth ports, and a third valve element on the stem communicates the fourth port with the fifth port as the third port is closed relative to the fourth port. In a third embodiment first and second adjacent chambers in a valve body are separated by a valve seat which is selectively closed by a thermally actuated valve stem carrying movable valve elements. In all embodiments, the stem is moved by a fusion type thermal element so that the valve is transferred from a first position to a second position at a predetermined temperature. The valve is particularly useful for controlling communication between vacuum actuated devices of an internal combustion engine.

Temperature responsive valve

Modular valve

This is a valve for controlling fluid flow in a conduit in which a valve plate member is moved in and out of engagement with a valve seat in a nozzle in the conduit by means of a thermal actuator to close and open said valve in response to temperature changes in said fluid. The valve plate member is carried by a housing of the thermal actuator and moves relative to a stem that extends from the housing. The free end of the stem is secured by means of a lamina that bridges the nozzle, the plane of said lamina extending in the direction of fluid flow through said nozzle.

Automotive cooling system thermostat

A pressure sensing means having a housing provided with a chamber therein. A double wall fluid operated device is disposed in the chamber of the housing and is carried by the same, the walls of the device defining a chamber therebetween that is interconnected to the exterior of the housing by a passage. A charge of pressure fluid is sealed in the chamber of the housing to initially hold the walls of the device in flat abutting relation in a manner to prevent an adverse permanent set thereof. Subsequently, the chamber of the double wall fluid operated device is interconnected to the pressurized chamber of a container means for a vehicular air bag safety system whereby the pressure sensing means can subsequently detect loss or gain of pressure differential across at least one of the walls of the double wall operated device for detection purposes or the like.

Growing community of inventors

Knoxville, TN, United States of America

Joseph P Wagner